


Nebraska Nights

by 1stDarkHunter



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Ghosts, Supernatural - Freeform, wedigo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:28:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15639819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1stDarkHunter/pseuds/1stDarkHunter
Summary: While stopping for a bite to eat on their way back to Lebanon, KS, Sam and Dean have a chance to help two ladies in Nebraska, eliminate a simple ghost. But there is nothing simple about how drastically this job would change their lives...





	1. Chapter One

Chapter One

2015

"You want me to go in there?" Hope's voice wavered.  
"Yeah, come on. It will be great! You said you always wanted to live on a farm."  
Two girls stared out of the dirty windshield of Grace's old rundown van. Even though the sun had already set there was still enough light to see the old three-story farmhouse before them. The van rocked slightly, bringing the girls back to the moment.  
"We need to get them out before they tip us." Grace teased.  
Hope groaned. It had been a long day in the van, especially after the air conditioner broke, and hooked to the back of the van was a horse trailer with two pissed off horses inside.  
"Let's at least get the horses in the stable and grab a few things to get us through the night into the house." Grace encouraged. She really didn't want to unload the whole van in the dark anyway. Besides they would probably want to clean the house before they moved everything in.

Hope really didn't want to get out of the van. She couldn't believe her best friend had convinced her this was a good idea.  
"I'll get our bags out of the van and see if we have some hot water for showers while you let the horses out. Then maybe we could go get a bite to eat at that a bar right off the main highway. I don't know about you but I could use a drink tonight."  
Hope didn't answer, she just climbed out of the van. She was going to need a lot more than one drink to get to sleep in this creepy old house. She grabbed a flashlight out of the tack room of the trailer and headed to the barn. It was a two story red barn straight out of a picture book. Maybe this would be easier when she saw it in the daylight. She shined the light around. The barn was dilapidated but it looked structurally sound. It would probably take a couple of weeks to clean it up but she could definitely see having several horses here. The stalls on the left all had attached paddocks so she checked the first two stalls to see if the fence was secure and would hold her horses. When she was satisfied it was safe she went to retrieve them.

Grace held her breath as she turned the key in the door to the old farmhouse. The old skeleton key felt strange in her hand and she wasn't sure if it would really work. She had been told by the attorney that the place had water and electricity and they had covered the furniture to keep off the dust.  
She still remember clearly when the attorney called her to tell her of her new acquisition. The call had come in three months ago that her great aunt Marge had died a spinster and had left something in her will. The attorney explained to Grace that the house had been passed down for four generations, always to the eldest daughter but Marge had not had any children to pass it to so they had tracked Grace down. Great Aunt Marge had been her mother's only aunt. Her mother was an only child, as was Grace, so she didn't really question why the house was passed down to her instead of her mother. Her mother wouldn't have wanted it anyways. She had a nice house in the city and had no interest in living on a farm.  
The one and only time Grace had been here was the summer she was 12. It had been her father who insisted they come to visit family since he had just lost his favorite aunt and uncle to old age. He didn't want his wife to miss another chance to see her aunt and before her time came. Grace's mother had complained the entire three-day drive. They barely stayed 48 hours before they headed back home. Grace couldn't remember much about the the house but she did remember liking the eccentric old lady that lived there.

The smell of musty old lady and dust permeated her nose as she pushed the door inward. All the curtains were drawn and lights were out, so even if there had been a hint of light outdoor she still would've seen nothing. She reached her hand to touch the wall and slid her fingers carefully along until she came across the light switch. She squinted in the darkness trying to figure it out. It wasn't really an up-and-down switch like she was used to, more like a knob to turn left or right. As she turned the knob the room filled with light. One of the lamps across the room popped and sizzled as the light bulb exploded. Grace gasped at the unexpected explosion but then laughed at her heart racing a million miles an hour.  
She rested her hand on her chest, she tried to control her breathing before walking to one of the large windows at the front of the house. She unlocked it and yanked it open with all her might. It was stiff and didn't want to open but the house desperately needed to be aired out. She moved to all the windows in that room and opened every one of them. She wanted to uncover all the furniture and see what the place was like but she knew that she needed to see about getting some dinner soon. She was getting hungry and Grace knew if her friend didn't eat soon her blood sugar would get to low and Hope would become unbearable. Grace moved thru the dining room and into the kitchen, turning on the lights. The sight caused her to smile. The walls had been covered with a white floral wallpaper and all the cabinets had been painted a soft pink. It was all very feminine but then what would you expect from a spinster living here alone. She quickly checked to see if the water was running before making her way upstairs to see about the shower situation.

The horses were glad to be out of the trailer. Hope let them sniff around and munch some grass before heading into the barn. It had been a long day and she just wanted to shower and go to bed, but she knew she needed to eat something. They wouldn't be able to get to a grocery store until tomorrow and she needed more to eat than cookies and Reese's Pieces. Hope gazed over at the house in the darkening night. There were some lights on downstairs now so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. She decided to take one horse in at a time since they weren't use to being in a barn. Hope tied Anduril to the trailer while she took Ellie to the barn. Anduril would go anywhere Ellie did so if she could convince the mare to go in, her gelding would follow. Hope almost fell backward when Ellie stopped abruptly. Hope looked back to see her stopped at the edge of the door.  
"Come on girlie, it's ok." Hope coaxed. But Ellie wouldn't budge. She planted her feet and wouldn't cross into the barn. Hope tried walking around outside again before heading to the barn. Each time the horse stubbornly planted her feet at the doorway and wouldn't cross in. Hope found it odd that she always stopped at the exact same place. She decided to see if she could convince Anduril to go in. She repeated the exercise with him but it had the same result. He stopped right at the door of the barn. Tired and frustrated Hope decided to check out the round pen nearby. It was really supposed to be used for training but she figured it would do until she could convince them to go in the barn. The corral was overgrown with grass so they happily began munching away while Hope went in search of water.

There was an old pump between the house and barn she began to pump the handle to draw some water. "Prime it." The words seemed whispered in her ear. Hope paused and looked towards the house. Had Grace called it to her and she had barely heard it over the sound of the pump? No, she didn't see Grace on the porch or at the windows. She resumed her pumping and she heard the voice again. This time it sent a chill down her spine. She quickly took her bucket in the house to the kitchen sink. She stood there breathing hard and trying to calm herself down. As she watched the water run into the bucket she realized that she knew she needed to prime the pump. It was probably just her imagination getting the better of her at this creepy old house. Feeling a lot better, she returned the bucket to the corral for her horse then went to clean up. She would feel better after a meal and a good night's sleep.

Grace climbed the wooden staircase, her hand sliding along the beautiful banister. There were five closed doors on this level and another flight of stairs leading to the attic. She walked over to the first door on her right and opened it. It was a smaller bedroom with a twin sized bed in it. She closed the door and moved down the hall to the next door. It was a bigger bedroom with a turret style window seat and queen sized four poster bed. She had always wanted a window seat to sit and read in. She smiled as she opened a couple of window in that room to get some fresh air in. She could see the horses out in the corral but didn't see Hope. As the second window slid up she felt someone standing behind her. She turned around expecting to see Hope but there was no one there. She heard the screen door slam and looked back out the first window. Hope was walking from the front of the house carrying a bucket of water. Grace smiled to herself, she must have just heard Hope downstairs. She walked across the hall past the stairwell and opened the other door on the front side of the house. It was a bedroom. Not as big as the one she was claiming but bigger than the first. She closed the door and moved to the next door. It was a bathroom. Grace had remembered there being a claw foot tub and had hoped it was still here. It was and it was larger than an average size tub, she couldn't wait to have a good soak in it. There was a curtain rod running around the top of it but no shower curtain. She sighed. She had a shower curtain somewhere in the van but she had no idea where and this one needed a curtain to go all the way around the tub and protect the wall. Well she's just have to make one. She could use the smaller room to set up her online sewing business. She didn't really need a job anymore once she had inherited the estate, there had been investments and war bonds that had proved to be enough to support her and Hope for a long time but she loved to sew and she had found her niche making custom clothes. She turned the faucet on the tub. She looked around as the pipes began groaning. The sound was creepy in this old house, sending another chill thru her. Her eyes darted around. This was always the part in the scary movie where the stupid girl died.  
"Don't be ridiculous! This isn't a movie." She told herself. It was an old house and the pipes hadn't been used a few months. Hopefully that's what it was, otherwise she'd have to call a plumber because she didn't want to live with it making this much noise.

Hope picked up the two suitcases sitting on the front porch and carried them in the house. She glanced around as she started up the stairs and paused halfway up.  
"Grace?" She called. She was sure she had seen someone walk from the living room to the dining room. Well, perhaps Grace hadn't heard her. Hope continued up the stairs. She looked around. There were lights on in the front bedroom and the door was open as well as in the bathroom across the hall. Hope carried Grace's suitcase to the bedroom assuming that was the one she had chosen to use. She left hers at the top of the stairs and went down to get their overnight bags and bring them in.

The water coming out in the tub was a little discolored. Grace decided to let it run and see if it cleared up. She went to check the other room upstairs and saw Hope's suitcase sitting at the top of the landing. That was weird. If Hope brought it up where was hers. It wasn't like Hope to take one and not the other. She knew she had left them on the porch when she came in so she could get the lights on first, she headed back downstairs to find Hope.

Hope was pulling a few bags out of the van when Grace found her.  
"Hey where's my suitcase?" Grace asked.  
"It's in your room."  
"How did you know what room?" Grace asked.  
"I took the bags up while you were in the kitchen."  
Grace was confused,"Then how did you know which room to put it in?"  
Hope sighed and stopped what she was doing.  
"Because you left the door open and the light on."  
"But I haven't been in the kitchen since before I went upstairs."  
"I saw you headed toward the kitchen when I was on the stairs." Hope explained. Grace swallowed hard. She knew that it wasn't her that Hope had seen but who was it.  
"Are you sure you saw somebody?" Grace asked.  
"Well no, I just thought I caught a glimpse of you. But if it wasn't you then where were you?"  
"I was upstairs checking out the bathroom."  
"Oh, well maybe I just saw a curtain move or something. You do have the windows open." Grace relaxed a little. She knew Hope didn't do well with scary things so she didn't want to spook her, especially tonight.  
"Well, the plumbing works. I'm flushing some water thru right now to get fresh water upstairs then we can shower and go get something to eat."  
"Great because I'm starving."  
Grace picked up an armful of bags and headed towards the house. "Hopefully the water has cleared up. Showering will be messy because there's no curtain."  
"I can find the shower curtain if you want." Hope said following her in the house.  
"It's alright. I really need to make one for it. A standard one won't fit. We'll just manage it tonight and put some fabric on the list of things to get tomorrow."  
"Yeah that ought to be fun." Hope said.  
"Why do you say that?" Grace said confused.  
"Where was the last big town you saw." Hope complained.  
"I'm sure there's a Walmart around here somewhere but I was more interested in finding the house than looking for town."  
"We'll just have to google it tomorrow."

Grace showered first while Hope decided on a room. She picked the one straight across the hall from Grace cause it was bigger than the others. She opened her windows and started uncovering the bed while she waited. It was a 4 poster bed with a queen sized mattress. They had draped a couple of white sheets over the bedding to keep it clean. Hope pulled them off and piled them in the corner. She sat on the mattress and was surprised at how comfortable it was.  
"It's all yours!" Grace said thru the doorway as she went to her own room wrapped in a towel.  
Hope gathered up her things and went to have a quick shower. Grace could get away without shampooing her hair tonight but Hope couldn't. Her thin, fine hair was going to need a good scrubbing but she knew she could just blow dry it straight and wear it down tonight. Not that there would be anyone to impress at the bar but since Grace had gotten into '50's style clothes it had worn off on her and now they did most things in a dress. She grabbed her mint dress to hang up in the bathroom to steam some of the wrinkles out while she washed off.

Grace plugged in her curlers while she got dressed. She pulled her dresses out of her garment bag and hung them in the closet. She stared at them while she put her curlers in. Which one should she wear tonight?  
"The red one." A voice seemed to whisper to her.  
She looked around but didn't see anyone. She looked back at the dresses. She hadn't thought of wearing a wiggle dress but it might be nice to feel a little sexy tonight. She smiled as she finished rolling her hair.

Hope poked her head into Grace's room just as Grace was putting the final pins in her hair. She had let her curls hang down her back but had pulled part of it back on the side pinning it in place with red flower.  
"You ready?" Hope asked. Hope was wearing her black and mint Heidi dress with a black belt and black stem heels. Her hair was blown out straight but the ends naturally flipped outward.  
"Yup, just need a little lipstick and I'm ready!" Grace said.  
She applied the bright red lipstick and they headed down to the van.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The tavern was a rundown building on a two lane road. There was an equally rundown gas station across the street and a few shabby homes further down the lane. Grace was ashamed to think about it, but the place reminded her of something right out of a scary movie. She loved scary movies, but Hope did not.

"Are you sure they serve food here?" Hope asked skeptically.  
"No, but I sure hope they do. I really don't want to drive an hour to a bigger town," Grace replied. The girls stepped out of the van and headed inside.

Dean looked up from the table that he and Sam were sitting at, his jaw slack, beer midway to his mouth.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Dean smiled as the girls walked in. Sam turned and looked at them. There was a tall red headed woman in a bright red dress that hugged her slender, curvy body. She was followed by a shorter brunette in a light green retro dress. Both girls seemed way too overdressed for this little dive bar.  
"I don't know, Dean. I think they may be out of your league," Sam said, turning back to face his brother. They watched the girls walk up to the bar. Dean couldn't keep his eyes off the redhead.  
"No such thing!" Dean replied, smiling arrogantly at his brother.  
He pushed his chair back and strode over to the bar. Sam watched him walk over to the red head, lean one arm against the bar and strike up a conversation. Sam shook his head and turned back to his computer. They had just finished a case and they were driving thru Nebraska and had stopped to eat. He was looking up local papers to see if there might be another job around.  
"Is he always this cocky?" A soft female voice asked.  
Sam looked up to see the brunette sitting at the table next to him. She had sat down on the opposite side of her table so she was facing him. Her forearms rested on the table while her fingers played with the glass in front of her.  
"Always." Sam smiled at her. He watched her cheeks flush a little as she smiled back. He looked over at Dean standing at the bar talking to her friend. They seemed to be into a decent conversation so he looked back at the girl across from him. She had picked up her menu and was trying not to notice him. He took a minute to really look at her. She had shoulder length brown hair and soft brown eyes. Her red lipstick accentuated her full lips. She sat up straight in the hard wooden chair with her feet crossed at the ankles instead of leaning back on the chair, her skirt flowing softly around her. She seemed too proper for a place like this. Sam was intrigued.  
"So what brings you ladies to a place like this," he asked.  
She looked back up at him. "Same as you I'd imagine. We were hungry." Her eyes lit up when she smiled and Sam found himself wanting to see her smile again.  
"It's just that you're dressed awfully nice for this place."

"We actually dress like this most of the time," she replied. "Grace makes our clothes. She has an online store that she does custom clothing."  
Sam was surprised. He glanced at her friend and then back at her taking in her light green dress. "Well, you both look great."  
"Thank you." She smiled. "So what brings you and your friend here? "  
Sam cast a quick look at Dean.  
"My brother and I are just passing thru. We just finished a job and we're looking for another."  
"What kind of work do you do?"  
"We're...consultants."  
"And you travel a lot for that?" She asked curiously.  
"Yeah, we're on the road most of the time," he said truthfully.  
"That must be hard. Never getting a chance to settle and be with people you love."  
"It's hard but we manage." Sam said looking at Dean.  
She polished off the small glass of liquor she was drinking and Sam noticed the slight tremor in her hand. He watched as her to see if she showed any other signs of nervousness. Her eyes darted around the room keeping an eye out for trouble. He flagged down a waitress to order her another drink.  
"What can I get you?" The waitress asked.  
"Disaronno on the rocks. And a cheeseburger please."  
"Would you like fries with that?"  
"Yes, please."  
"You can just put that on my tab." Sam said.  
The waitress nodded walked way.  
"Thank you. You didn't have to do that," she said gratefully.  
"No problem. So are you just passing thru or...?"  
"Grace and I moving here."  
"Here?" He asked pointing at the table, "There's not really much here."  
"Tell me about it!" She laughed sarcastically, "Grace inherited a farm about 5 miles from here so we decided to check it out. Worst case scenario we fix it up and sell it, I guess." She didn't sound like she was convinced of the idea herself. She looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath. Sam could tell something was wrong.  
"But it's more than that." Sam prompted.  
She looked over searching his face before she spoke. "It's probably nothing but... I just thought..."  
"What?" Sam asked.  
"I'm afraid it might be haunted," she said quietly. She dropped her chin embarrassed.  
Sam's eyebrows went up. "Haunted, really?"  
She looked up at him, embarrassed, "I told you it was stupid."  
"It's not stupid. What would make you think that?" Sam said.  
"What would make you think what?" The redhead asked, stepping up to the table.  
"Oh, it's nothing." The brunette said blowing it off. Her eyes begged Sam not to say anything.  
Sam looked up at the red head and smiled, "That it's going to be hard to find a decent grocery store around here." The redhead sat down next to Sam.  
"Well, yeah we are in the middle of nowhere," she agreed.  
Dean sat down in his seat across from Sam.  
"I'm Grace, by the way," she said, holding out her hand for Sam to shake.  
"Sam." He replied taking her hand.  
"I'm sure Sam here can just look up the nearest shopping places for you." Dean said indicating the computer.  
"Oh, yeah. Sure. No problem," Sam said, clicking away on his keyboard.  
The waitress returned with the brunette's drink.  
"Did you want to order?" Grace asked her friend while the waitress was still there.  
"I already did," she replied with a blush.  
"Oh, well then, I'll have whatever she's having," Grace told the waitress.  
"That's very trusting of you," Dean observed. "If I did that with Sam I could end up eating seaweed or something."  
"Hope and I have been friends for almost 20 years, so I know that I would like anything she'd order, now she may not like the things I order..." Grace laughed.  
Sam looked over at the small brunette. So her name was Hope, Sam was both relieved and disappointed. Ever since that psychic had told him that his soulmate was out there and would need his help, he had been on the watch for her her. But the psychic had said her name was Katherine, so he knew this wasn't her. Not that he wanted to believe in that sort of thing but after all he'd seen, he knew it could be true. Sam focused back on his screen, he had to figure out how to help her without being obvious.  
"Looks like it's about an hour and a half south to North Platte or three hours to Lincoln, if you want a big city," Sam said. Both girls groaned. Dean chuckled.  
"It's just as bad for us, Dean. The nearest motel is North Platte."  
"That's the wrong direction." Dean replied, "Well, won't be the first time we slept in the car."  
"You're gonna sleep in your car tonight?" Grace asked, wrinkling her nose.  
"Yeah, it's no big deal," Dean replied.  
Grace and Hope exchanged a looked.  
"Well, it's a bit unconventional but why don't you guys stay at the farm with us tonight." Grace suggested.  
Sam saw his chance to help Hope and jumped on it. He looked at Hope. "You sure you wouldn't mind? I mean it'd really help us out."  
"No, I wouldn't mind," Hope replied, looking relieved.  
The girls food arrived and Sam excused himself to the men's room. Dean quick on his heels after him.

"What the hell is that about?" Dean asked.

"What?"  
"You never want to get close to a girl and now all the sudden you want us to spend the night with them. I know you. Something's going on."  
Sam sighed, "Hope thinks she may have a ghost. She's scared and doesn't want her friend to know."  
"So it's a job?"  
"An easy job but, yeah. It's a job," Sam replied. "Besides we got nothing right now anyway so what's the hurry."  
"I guess it might not hurt to have a day or two off and maybe get some home cooking." Dean agreed.  
"Great! And don't follow me to the can again. We look like gossiping women."

"Are you really ok with them coming to the house?" Grace asked as she watched Dean walk away.  
"Yeah, that house gives me the creeps and having a couple of big guys there would help me sleep."  
"Dean is actually taller than me in these heels!" Grace said excitedly.  
Hope just laughed, "And the fact that he's hot enough to melt butter doesn't hurt."  
"Well, there's that." Grace agreed, smiling. She saw Sam emerge from the men's room and walk to the bar. "Sam isn't bad either." She continued.  
Hope followed her line of sight and saw Sam at the bar. She blushed profusely.  
"He has a great smile," she admitted.  
Sam walked back over to her table and set a glass next to her plate before returning to his seat.  
"Thank you," Hope said.  
"Your welcome," he replied.  
Grace smiled, she could see that Sam didn't even notice she was there. He only saw Hope. Grace was glad, her friend needed a guy like that right now. She looked up and smiled as Dean walked back over to the table.  
"I'm going to get another drink, can I get you one?" He asked Grace.  
Her glass was still half full. "I'm good thanks, I gotta drive home."  
"Hmm, kind of a light weight, good to know." Dean teased as he walked to the bar.  
Grace just shook her head and finished her burger. When she was done she challenged Dean to a game of pool.  
"Ok, but I'll warn you. I'm pretty good." He smirked.  
"Then maybe you can teach me how to handle a cue stick," she teased.  
Dean's eyebrows flew up as he followed her to the pool table. They each grabbed a cue stick and Dean racked the balls. Grace casually put some chalk on the end of her stick.  
"Do you want to break?" Dean asked politely.  
"Sure," Grace said moving to the end of the table. She hit the balls just hard enough to barely move them. She looked up to see Dean smile.  
"You need a little more power behind it," he said, lining up a shot and hitting the balls harder than she did.  
"Well, are you gonna show me how or what?" She challenged.  
Dean smiled and walked around behind her. He leaned his cue stick against the wall and bent over behind Grace lining up a shot.

From across the room Sam looked up from his computer and saw Dean and Grace.  
"Well he's in 7th heaven," Sam commented. Hope turned around and looked and almost laughed out loud.  
"Yeah, she got him eating out of the palm of her hand."  
"Now, if she just made pie, we'd never leave."  
"Pie?" Hope asked, looking at Sam confused.  
"Dean loves pie."  
"What kind of pie?"  
"Any kind of pie."  
Hope tucked that little nugget away for later and changed the subject.  
"Thank you by the way for not ratting me out."  
"My pleasure." Sam smiled, "So what makes you think the place is haunted?"  
She took a deep breath, "I don't know that it is. The place just gives me the creeps."  
"Anything specific?"  
"Well, my horses refused to go in the barn but it was pretty dark and I've never put them in a barn before. I don't know, it's just like somebody's watching me sometimes. And I thought I saw someone downstairs when Grace was upstairs. But it could have just been a curtain moving, so it's probably nothing."  
"Let's see if we can find out." Sam reached over and pulled Grace's chair next to him.  
Hope was confused but she moved to Grace's seat, taking her drink with her.  
"First, we set up a decoy." Sam said bringing up and additional screen on his laptop. He googled Walmart and brought up the closest location. Then he went back to his original screen.  
"Does the house have a name or is it under a family name maybe?" Sam asked.  
"There was a sign over the driveway that said Ferguson Farm." Hope said.  
Sam typed in Ferguson farm, Nebraska and hit search. He looked at a few websites that came up before he found what he was looking for. It was an old newspaper clipping.  
"Girl Saved By Ghost" was the headline.  
Hope leaned to look over his shoulder. Sam caught the scent of her perfume and was momentarily distracted. It was sweet and musky and he wanted to lean closer for another whiff. He cleared his throat and began reading quietly.  
"Local girl Marjorie Ferguson, 8, says she was saved by a ghost. Her family had gone to town to sell vegetables at the market when the tornado came thru last week. Marjorie says that she was playing with her dolls when the ghost of her grandmother appeared to her and led her to shelter before the storm hit. She said the ghost stayed with her until the storm ended and it was safe for her to leave the shelter.  
Although the tornado did not actually reach the Ferguson house there was debris scattered around the farm. The family said they've never seen a ghost before and that it was purely the child's imagination.  
Marjorie's grandmother, June, disappeared mysteriously after the murder of her husband leading the sheriff to believe that she had killed him and run away, never to be heard from again."  
"So there is a ghost." Hope said leaning back in her chair.  
Sam looked over at her. She had gone pale as a sheet and her hands were trembling in her lap. He reached over and put a hand over both of hers.  
"Hey, we don't know that. We just found one story. But don't worry, I'll be there with you tonight, ok?"  
She nodded. She had no idea how he could protect her from a ghost, worse she could just be putting him in jeopardy.  
"Here, finish this. You'll feel better," he said handing her the glass of disaronno he'd brought her. She slammed the rest of it.  
"Do you need another," he asked. She nodded and he flagged down the waitress and ordered another for her and a beer for himself. He closed the window on his computer and switched back to the Walmart window.  
"How long have you been in the house?" He asked.  
"About an hour," Hope replied.  
"An hour? And you're already thinking it's haunted?"  
"You'll see," she said, staring off beyond him.  
"Come on, we need to distract you," he said, standing up and holding out a hand to her. She looked at him skeptically for a moment, then took his hand. He led her over to dart board and began to teach her how to play.

Dean racked up a second game of pool for him and Grace.  
"Do you need help again with the break?" He smiled crookedly at her.  
"Nah, let's see how good of a teacher you were," she said, coyly.  
She hit the break so hard she knocked two balls in.  
"Much better," Dean said, impressed.  
As she walked around the table looking for her next shot Dean watched her hips swaying back and forth. She was beautiful, no doubt about that. He'd lost track of what she was doing till he heard the balls crack again. His eyes flicked to the table as another ball dropped in the pocket. He didn't know if it was just a lucky shot or if he really was that good of a teacher. She crossed the table and leaned towards him. She looked up at him giving him an excellent view of her cleavage. She hit the cue ball and it jumped the ball in front of it and knocked her ball into the side pocket.  
"Wait a minute! I'm a good teacher but that was a hell of a shot," he said coming to his senses.  
Grace laughed and came around the table to stand in front of him.  
She leaned in close and whispered, "You really are a good teacher."  
He huffed at her, taking a step back, a frown across his face. "You're just a hustler and now you think I'm some idiot you can just take," he said, angrily.  
"Ah, come on. I was just having fun," she said, still smiling. She closed the space between them, resting a hand on his chest. "Besides, I rather enjoyed having you pressed up against me." She whispered breathily.  
Dean looked in her eyes to see if she was serious. He could see the lust smoldering in her eyes.  
"So should we head back to your place?" He said, clapping his hands together.  
Grace laughed, "Sure, it's getting late and I gotta find sheets for the rest of the beds." Dean frowned at her words.  
They found Sam and Hope at the dart board. Sam was trying without success to teach Hope how to throw darts. She couldn't stop giggling when she would throw one and it wouldn't even stick to the board.  
"You ready to head out?" Dean asked.  
"Yup. I think someone has had enough to drink tonight," he said, indicating Hope.  
"Hey, I resemble that!" She began giggling again.  
"How many did she have?" Grace asked.  
Sam thought for a moment, "Five I think."  
"Five?" Grace asked incredulously, "She ought to sleep good tonight. You must have given yourself permission."  
Hope smiled guiltily.  
"Permission for what?" Dean asked.  
"Permission to get drunk." Grace replied.  
"You have to have permission for that?" Dean asked.  
"Well, it's just our theory," Grace said.  
"What theory is that?" Sam asked as he guided Hope out to the van.  
"If you know you have to be responsible and drive you can usually have a few drinks and keep it together. But if you know you have a DD or you have something to celebrate or something to forget you tend to get drunk faster because you give yourself permission."  
"Well, hell. I've been doing it wrong all these years," Dean said smiling.  
Sam just shook his head as he opened the door for Hope. She started to get in but turned back to him, worry creasing her forehead. "You're still coming with us, right?"  
He smiled, "Yeah, we'll follow you there."  
She climbed into her seat, "I don't know why you would want to, I mean there's nothing you could do to protect me from a ghost anyway."  
Sam's looked over at Dean and Grace. They were still outside the van so they hadn't heard what she had said.  
"I can protect you and I will," he said seriously.  
"Why would you do that?" She asked.  
"Because you asked me to."  
She leaned over and kissed him. She tasted sweet from the liquor and Sam wanted to continue the kiss but Grace opened her door and climbed in the van.  
"So, you'll just follow us," Grace asked.  
"Yes, ma'am." Dean replied.  
Grace smiled and stuck the keys in the ignition. She turned the key and and the van made a groaning noise, but wouldn't start.  
"Come on!" She said, turning the key hard. Again the vehicle groaned but wouldn't start.  
"Pop the hood." Dean said walking to the front of the van. Sam walked around and joined him.  
"What is it?" Sam asked.  
Dean fished around for a minute and told Grace to try it again. It groaned but still wouldn't start.  
"Looks like the alternator." Dean said closing the hood. He walked back over to Grace. "Looks like you need a new alternator." He told her.  
"What I need is a new car." Grace complained.  
"Why don't you ride with us tonight and we can get the part tomorrow and I'll get you back up and running. At least till you can trade this in." Dean said.  
"Thank you." She replied. "I don't know how I can repay you."  
"Well, we'll think of something." Dean winked at her.  
Sam retrieved Hope from the passenger side and held her hand as the walked to their Chevy Impala.  
"Wow! Nice car!" Grace said.  
"Thank you." Dean said proudly walking around to get in.  
Sam opened the back door for Hope and helped her in. Grace waited to slide in next to Hope but Sam opened the front door for her, closing it after she got in. He then slid in next to Hope in the back seat.  
"Don't let her get sick back there." Dean said looking at Sam in the rear view mirror.  
"I'm not that drunk, ya know," Hope said defensively.  
Dean started the engine and revved it. He looked over to see Grace's smile and peeled out of the parking lot and headed down the road.  
Grace gave him directions to the farm. While Sam slipped an arm around Hope and pulled her close to him. She laid her head on his shoulder as they drove back to the farmhouse.


	3. Chapter Thre

Chapter Three

"Holy crap! You weren't kidding," Dean said as he leaned towards the steering wheel, trying to see the outside of the house for the first time.  
"I told you," Grace replied, as she and Dean got out of the car, "We should rent this house out to film horror movies in."  
They had left some lights on in the house so it wouldn't be so creepy when they came back but the effect of the light pooling around the covered porch may have made it worse.

Hope had fallen asleep on Sam's shoulder as they drove to the house.  
"Hope," he said, trying to wake her gently. She lifted her head and looked at him. "We're here."  
She blinked a few times and looked out the window. When she saw the house she seemed to sober up some. Her breathing began to quicken and Sam decided to get her moving before she had a full blown panic attack.  
"Come on, let's go check it out," he said, opening his door.  
He climbed out and held a hand out to her. She took it and followed him to the trunk to grab two duffel bags and then they headed into the house.

"Boy, you weren't joking about just moving in," Dean said, tugging at one on the sheets that was covering the furniture.  
"No, we literally just arrived and got cleaned up so we could go get something to eat."  
Dean started walking through the house checking things out while everyone else followed. He walked thru the dining room and into the kitchen then out the side door and across the hall. Sam hung back in the kitchen and started opening cabinets.  
"What are you doing?" Hope asked.  
"Looking for salt," he replied.  
"Oh. Well, we haven't gone shopping yet so there aren't any groceries here."  
"I know but salt doesn't really go bad so I thought maybe there would be some left from your aunt." He continued opening cabinets.  
"What do you need salt for?"

He reached up and pulled a can of salt down smiling. "It helps keep ghosts away," he said.  
"Wait, what? How do you know that?" Hope's heart hammered in her chest.

"It's kinda my job to know," Sam replied reluctantly.  
"What do you mean it's your job? You said you were a consultant," she said suspiciously.  
"Sort of. My brother and I are hunters."  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hope asked confused.  
"Not like regular hunters, we hunt monsters."  
"Monsters?" Hope stared in disbelief. She ran her fingers thru her hair, turned and walked out of the kitchen the way they'd came. She was suddenly finding it hard to breathe.  
"Hope, wait," Sam said following her. He reached out and caught her arm, turning her back around. There were tears in her eyes.  
"Hope, what's wrong?" He reached to wipe them away  
"I knew you were too good to be true," she cried.  
"Hope." He paused and blew out a breath, this was the part of his life he hated, "I'm sorry I lied to you, it's just that most people are better off not knowing about the things we know about."  
"So that's how you knew how to look it up on the Internet? I must sound pretty pathetic to you."  
He tilted her chin up to look at him. "No, you sounded scared. That's what got my attention. This is what we do. We protect people from stuff like this."  
"So, you're like those Ghostfacers?" She asked.  
"No!" He said adamantly, "Those guys are idiots."  
She laughed, "They are pretty stupid."  
"Come on, let's go check out your room and get you settled in for the night." He said wrapping an arm around her.

Grace follow Dean across the hall into the library. He stood in the center and turned in a circle taking everything in. The interior wall was floor to ceiling bookshelves complete with a rolling ladder to reach the vaulted ceiling. There were hundreds of dust covered volumes. It would take Grace forever to go through them all. She walked over to the closest shelves and ran a finger along the bindings as she read some of the titles. Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island on one shelf and Farmer's almanacs on another, books of Maps, history, science on another. As she walked along the wall she came to a shelf with no titles on the book. She pulled out the dusty leather bound book and opened it.

"Planted potatoes in the north forty today. Corn crop is already sprouting and will hopefully be a good crop this year. We are going to need more feed for the cattle to survive the winter.  
Eliza told me today that she's in the family way so we'll have another baby come February." Grace read aloud. She replaced the volume and pulled another. It was a newer one. She flipped to the middle and began reading aloud again.  
"Grams says trouble's coming. The eclipse last night was a ill omen."  
Dean walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder. His musky smell distracting her slightly.  
"She told me to go to the storm shelter before sunset and stay put till daylight. She won't tell me what's comin. But she got mad when I told her I'd just lock up the house."  
"How old is that one?" Dean asked.  
Grace flipped to the front "1990."  
The color drained a little from her face. Dean stepped around to face her.  
"I knew Aunt Marge was a little eccentric but I didn't realize she was crazy."  
"What makes you think she's crazy?" Dean asked.  
"Marge was my great aunt. In 1990 she'd have been in her early 80's. But she refers to Grams talking to her."  
Dean's mind raced. Perhaps Hope was right and there was a ghost. The house was certainly creepy and he hadn't seen any evidence of a ghost but he didn't have his emf reader either. He looked back at Grace. He didn't want to freak her out tonight, perhaps it would be better to discuss Hope's suspicions in the daylight.  
"Well, maybe she just lived alone too long. You did say she was a spinster and she probably just had an imaginary friend."  
A terrible screeching noise filled the room and Dean raced for the door, Grace was right behind him. The sound was coming from upstairs.

"Sam!" Dean yelled taking the stairs two at a time. "Sam!"  
Sam came out of the doorway to the bathroom, as Dean hit the top of the stairs. He was shirtless.  
"What?" He asked Dean, confused.  
Dean stopped suddenly at the top of the stairs, surprised to see Sam so relaxed.  
"What is that noise?" Dean asked.  
"It's the pipes." Sam said indicating the bathroom, "I was just going to take a quick shower before bed."  
"Fine, go take your shower." Dean said waving him back into the bathroom.  
"I put your duffel in my room." Sam told him.  
"Thanks," Dean said and turned to go back to Grace but she was standing right behind him. He grabbed her waist to keep from knocking her over. Grace's breath was ragged from racing up the stairs. She looked up into Dean's green eyes. He was so close their lips almost touched. She felt desire flash thru her heating her body. She quickly stepped out of his embrace and walked to her bedroom. She couldn't let herself get caught up with a man again, especially not one that wasn't planning on sticking around.

Dean followed her to the bedroom and leaned against the door frame. Grace busied herself pulling the protective sheets off the bed then moving to uncover the rest of the furniture. Dean strolled into the room and walked up behind her as she tried to fold up one of the sheets. He gripped her biceps to let her know he was there then slid his hands up to her shoulders and pushed her hair out of the way. His fingers kneaded into her stiff muscles as he tried to get her to relax. She let out a soft moan as her hands dropped to her sides. He worked a little on her neck before leaning down whispering in her ear.  
"You look a little tense," he said before applying a soft kiss just below her ear. She moaned again. He slid a hand around her waist and pulled her back against him. She could feel his arousal. It both excited and frightened her.  
"No, I can't." Grace said unconvincingly.  
"Yes, you can," he whispered in her other ear.  
She turned around to face him and gently pushed at his chest, realizing under his shirt he was rock solid. She knew she wasn't saying no completely. She smiled coyly at him.  
"Now Dean, what kinda lady would I be if I just gave into you only hours after meeting you?" She took a step forward and causing him to step back towards the door with her hands still on him, the heat searing him.  
"You're exactly the kinda lady I like." He said giving her a roguish smile.  
She took another step towards him and he had to step back.  
"No, Dean. I think I need to earn your respect and wait." She said pushing him thru the doorway into the hall.  
"Trust me you have my respect." He said eagerly.  
She smiled and closed the door on him, quietly saying goodnight. Dean stood in the hall baffled. This never happened to him. Sam came out of the bathroom just at that moment, only wearing a towel.  
"Got shut down huh?" Sam teased.  
"No, I just figured what's the rush, I mean I gotta fix that van tomorrow anyway." Dean said heading toward the stairs. Sam walked towards the little bedroom on the opposite side of the bathroom from Hope's. He grabbed Dean's duffel from inside the door and tossed it to him.  
"Well, there's a bed in there," Sam said, pointing at the door opposite his.  
"Great! Thanks!" Dean said sarcastically, huffing to himself as he stepped into the tiny room. He looked at the twin bed and sighed. He took the old sheet off and sat down on the bed. The springs creaked in protest. It made him smile thinking about the bed squeaking as he and Grace rocked it out. Dean shook his head to get the thought out. She was a challenge. And he was always up for a challenge.

Sam lay in the small bed staring up at the ceiling. The room he was in what had probably been a little girl's room at one time. The twin sized bed was framed with an antique white iron bed frame. At 6'4" he was a little too long for the mattress so his knees were slightly bent to try to fit on the bed between the head and footboard.  
He had waited for Hope to get ready for bed then he had spread the salt around her bed to protect her. She still looked nervous as he left to have a shower but he reassured her that as long as she stayed in the circle of salt the ghost couldn't harm her.  
He lay there trying to figure out why a ghost would be haunting the place at all. He wanted to get his laptop and do some more research but he'd left it in the car and he didn't want to wake the house.  
The door to his room creaked open and Sam reached for his gun beside the bed.  
"Sam?" Her voice was so small he almost didn't recognize it.  
"Hope?" He asked setting gun back down and sitting up, "What is it?"  
"I'm still scared," she whispered.  
She wore a pair of pajama shorts and a plain pink tank top that hugged her breasts.  
Sam swallowed, realizing he was staring, "Come here."  
She quietly moved over to the bed. He pulled back the covers and held them open for her. She laid down her back pressed against his bare chest in the tiny bed. He covered them up, spooning up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She was trembling but he wasn't sure if it was fear or if she was just cold.  
"I told you that a ghost can't get you in the circle of salt," he said quietly.  
"I know, but I still can't sleep," she replied.  
He smiled to himself. She'd been in that bed less than an hour so she really hadn't had a chance to fall asleep yet, but he was grateful for the excuse to hold her all night. She smelled good and was soft and curvy in all the right places. Hope's breathing began to even out and the trembling stopped so he knew she was falling asleep. He let himself relax and drift off to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Sam awoke with the sunlight streaming in the window. Hope was still curled up in his arms asleep. He lay there for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her in his arms but eventually nature called and he had to get up. Hope stirred as he slipped out of bed.

"Go back to sleep I just have to go to the bathroom," he said quietly as he opened the door.

Dean was coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel as Sam stepped into the hallway.

"Morning," Dean said, sounding a bit more tired and surly than normal.

"Morning!" Sam replying pulling the door to the bedroom closed but not hard enough to latch it. He passed Dean and headed into the bathroom.

Dean was curious as to why Sam was so cheery, and why he would close the door to his room. So he walked over and pushed the door open slowly. Hope was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Morning, Hope!" Dean said smirking. Now understanding his brother's happy tone.

"Morning!" She said blushing red.

Dean chuckled to himself as he returned to his room, "Lucky Dog!"

Grace stepped out of her room just as Dean reached the door to his. Her red hair was down and tousled about, coming to hang just over the breasts. She wore black shorts and a red and black baby doll pajama top that had little Mickey Mouse heads on it. Grace stopped dead in her tracks, waking up fully in that one moment. Seeing him standing there in a towel and his hair still dripping wet, leaving trails of moisture down his ripped chest almost sent her over the edge. Her lips were suddenly dry and she found herself pursing them together, trying not to bite her lower lip.

"Did you get some sleep last night?" His deep gravelly voice rumbled.

"A little," she replied, trying to keep her voice quiet so not to betray her attraction.

"I think Hope may have gotten the best night's sleep of all of us," he said with a teasing grin. Grace looked at him confused until the door to Sam's room creaked open and Hope slipped out. She saw them looking at her and quickly walked to her own room, trying to keep her head down. Grace was shocked, that was completely out of character for Hope. She'd have to ask her later what had happened. She decided to play it off with Dean and just shrugged, walking toward the bathroom. Sam stepped out of the bathroom just as Grace came around the banister. He had on pajama pants but no shirt, Grace looked over at Dean who was still standing in the doorway watching her. She realized for the first time that the guys had the exact same tattoo. It was a pentagram inside a sunburst just over their hearts. She wondered what the significance was. Grace had no doubt she'd find out later. If nothing else it was a good lead in to get Dean shirtless. She shut the bathroom door and started getting ready for the day.

Hope quickly changed into her fuchsia sundress with pink flowers embroidered around the bottom and slipped on her white sandals. She ran a brush through her hair and grabbed her toothbrush taking it downstairs to the kitchen. She brushed her teeth before heading out to check on the horses.

Hope whistled as she walked out to the corral. The horses raised there heads to look at her but then went back to eating.

"Oh, I see how it is," Hope smiled.

She checked the bucket of water and saw that it was mostly empty. She carried it over to the pump and poured the remaining water into it. It took a few minutes of continuous pumping but water finally started to come out of the pump. She refilled the bucket and returned it to the corral. She stood there watching her horses and absentmindedly rubbed her right shoulder. It was sore from sleeping on it all night.

"Shoulder hurt?" Sam asked stepping up behind her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and began to massage the muscles.

"I probably shouldn't have slept on my bad shoulder all night but I was just so comfortable..." She trailed off.

"You're bad shoulder?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I broke my collar bone a while back. It didn't heal straight and it still bothers me sometimes." She said pulling her strap aside so Sam could see the unevenness in the bone.

He gently ran his fingers over the bone feeling the small bump.

"You could have rolled over you know," he pointed out.

She turned around to face him and looked up into his green eyes.

"It was such a small bed. I didn't want us to fall off." She smiled. "You're so tall you barely fit as it was."

His thumb gently rubbed her collar bone. "Well, perhaps tonight we should sleep in your room," he said, looking at his hand, not at her face.

Hope felt a flash of heat running thru her body. She hadn't known if they would stay another night or if Dean would fix the van and they'd hit the road. She moistened her lips and Sam leaned down and kissed her softly. He still tasted of cinnamon toothpaste.

It didn't take Grace long to get her hair pinned up in a coif and her makeup on. As she left the bathroom the hallway was empty. She slipped into her room a pulled out her turquoise dress. She had made it for her last birthday and thought this was a good day to wear it. There was a light knock on her door.

"Grace? Are you about ready to head to town?" Dean asked.

"Almost!" She called back.

"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs."

She slipped on her heels and hurried down the stairs.

Dean stepped off the porch, seeing his brother kissing Hope. It was weird to see Sam in that position and made Dean a little uncomfortable so he hollered down to Sam.

"If you two are done making out. We thought we'd head to town."

Grace stepped up beside him and smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand, "You should try and be nice for a change," Grace scolded.

Dean looked over at her and his breath caught in his throat. She looked like she'd stepped out of a home and garden magazine from 1955. He didn't know what to say so he offered his arm and walked her to the car.

Hope ran in the house to grab her purse while Sam walked over to Dean and Grace at the Impala. He had already opened the passenger door for Grace when they got there. She sat down and Dean closed it. Dean watched Sam as he walked around the Impala with a knowing smirk.

"What?" Sam said.

Dean just wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh! Man, nothing happened," Sam said, irritated that his brother's mind was in the gutter.

"Sure it didn't." Dean laughed and climbed in the front seat of the car. The engine started up with a low rumble. Sam just shook his head and leaned against the car waiting for Hope to return.

Grace ran her fingers lovingly over the dashboard of the 1967 Impala. Dean noticed the touch and looked at her face. There was admiration there.

"You like my Baby," he asked.

"Yeah," she breathed out. "Last night it was too dark and I was too upset over Animal to appreciate the beauty."

"Animal?"

"My van. His name is Animal."

Dean just nodded.

"But my first love..." She sighed. "My first love was a 1972 Plymouth Duster. I knew that car inside and out. It destroyed me when the ball joints went out."

Dean just stared at her in shock, his mouth slightly open. What kind of girl was this? He couldn't even imagine she knew what a ball joint was with the way she dressed. Just then, Sam opened the back door for Hope and the conversation was dropped.

They drove into North Platte and found a restaurant that was still serving brunch. After eating they found an automotive store to get the parts Dean needed to fix the van before they headed off to Walmart so the girls could pick up some things. Each girl grabbed a cart and headed off in a different direction. The guys looked at each other then each headed out after their girls. Grace headed to the grocery department and raced up and down the aisles. Dean had trouble keeping up with her.

"How are you walking so fast in those shoes," he asked, looking down at her four inch heels.

Grace looked down at her shoes and shrugged, "I always wear these. I could probably out run you, even in these shoes," she teased. He just shook his head. If she only knew.

Hope headed to the garden department. She needed something bigger to use as a water trough and some way to get it there that didn't require her to haul buckets all day. She also decided to pick up a few bags of rock salt that Sam recommended as well. She ended up getting a pump set up for a koi pond. Then they went to housewares to look at totes. She figured there would be troughs in the barn so it didn't have to last forever just a month or so till they got settled. After she found an oversized bucket in with the laundry baskets, they headed to the back of the store, Hope stopped at the movie section.

"Maybe we should get a movie for tonight," she suggested.

"Only if we get the snacks to do it right," Sam replied. Hope smiled excitedly. She was looking forward to curling up on the couch with him.

"What type of movie should we get?" Hope asked.

"Well, Dean likes action movies..."

"Of course he does." Hope laughed, "So no chick flicks?"

"Um no."

"Grace likes the apocalyptic movies."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed. His mind flashed back to the battle between Lucifer and Michael and his time in hell.

"You know the ones where there is a natural disaster coming that is going to wipeout mankind," she said, bringing Sam back to the present.

"Oh yeah right, those. Natural Disasters...um I guess that would work."

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe they have this one!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"What one?" Sam asked confused.

She looked up at him mischievously, "How about a western comedy?"

"What you mean like Blazing Saddles?"

"Kind of but not so Mel Brooks."

He had no idea what she was talking about but she seemed so happy that he went along with it. They made their way over to the grocery department and picked up snacks as well as other things that were on Hope's list.

"So what should we have for dinner?" Grace asked Dean.

"It's a little early for dinner or are you from the south where dinner means lunch and supper means dinner."

Grace chuckled, "No, we just had brunch. I mean what would you like me to cook for dinner tonight?"

"Oh, uh, whatever you like would be fine with me. As long as there is pie for dessert," he said with a boyish grin.

"Pie huh? I think I can handle that. Why don't you go get some vanilla ice cream and I'll grab the rest of the ingredients and meet you up front."

Dean strolled down to the ice cream aisle and grabbed a half gallon of French vanilla ice cream. He wandered to the front to wait for the others. He noticed a newspaper in a rack near the check stand and picked it up.

"Animal Attacks Causes Citizens To Worry" the headline read. Dean quickly scanned the article. It could be a case but he'd have Sam check into it further. He folded the paper and tucked it under his arm as Grace came up front. She parked the basket next to him.

"Can you keep an eye out for Hope and Sam? I just want to see if they have any fabric on sale."

"Sure," Dean said. He smiled as he watched her walk away her skirt swinging back and forth on her hips.

It wasn't long before they had checked out and were on their way. Dean drove them all back to the farm. Sam helped Hope and Grace carry in the groceries so the girls could get them put away then he and Dean went to fix the van.

Dean pulled out the alternator while Sam sat on a curb nearby trying to balance his laptop on his knees.

"Says here that there have been three animal attacks in the last month."

"What do you think werewolf? Wendigo? Ghoul?" Dean asked.

"Could be any of them but we'd have to see the bodies to know for sure," Sam replied.

He continued to look for more information.

"The victims were all found near a lake."

Sam jumped up and grabbed a map of Nebraska. He spread the map on the hood of the Impala and located the lake.

"How far is it?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed, "It's just past the farm."

"Wait, like the girls' farm?"

"Yeah, it looks like it."

"Shit, we gotta get this piece of crap back together and get back there," Dean said, turning back to the van.

Grace finished putting away the groceries and hand washed the dishes she'd need to make the pie. It didn't take her long to get the apple pie mixed up and baking. She made some lemonade and stuck it in the fridge for when the guys came back. It was hot that day and she knew they'd be tired. Hope came in from hooking up the new pump and filling the trough.

"Did ya get it to work?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, it's not ideal but it will work till I can figure out something more permanent," Hope replied. "Any idea when the guys will be back?"

"No clue. I hope it doesn't take too long."

Hope laughed seeing the longing in Grace's eyes.

"What?" Grace asked.

"I can tell you like him. Why don't you just go for it?"

"You know why."

"That was three years ago. Besides we both know these guys aren't going to stick around forever so relax and have a little fun," Hope said.

"Like you?" Grace said with a knowing smile.

Hope waved her off, "Nothing happened. I just spooked myself and couldn't sleep so he said I could sleep with him." Grace couldn't suppress the giggle.

"Not 'sleep with him' just... sleep," Hope said flustered.

It took Grace a minute to stop laughing and by then Hope was beet red.

"So why did you freak yourself out?" She asked.

"Oh, you know me… creepy old house with creaks and groans. Just started to feel like someone was watching me."

Grace sobered, "I know what you mean. Last night I heard you come in my room but when I looked you were outside."

Hope visibly shivered, "Agh, don't talk about it! It makes it worse."

"What worse?"

"Sam found an out article where a little girl told everyone the ghost of her grandmother saved her," Hope explained.

"Who was the little girl?"

"I don't know. Marjorie something."

"Aunt Marge..." Grace said, dropping into a kitchen chair.

Hope sat down across from her, swallowing hard, "You don't really think it's true do you?"

"I don't know what to think. When did Sam look that up?"

"At the bar."

"At the bar? Where was I?"

"You were teasing Dean at the pool table."

It was Grace's turn to blush.

"Well, I think we should at least get the furniture uncovered. Then maybe it won't seem so creepy," Hope said jumping up. "I'll start upstairs if you want to start down here."

"Sounds good. That way I can keep an eye on dinner."

Grace put together a lasagna and stuck it in the oven on medium to cook for a couple of hours. She could cook it faster but she had no idea what time the boys would be back. She wiped down the entire kitchen and rewashed most of the dishes to make sure they were clean. She wiped off counter tops and swept and mopped the floor before moving on to the dining room.

Upstairs Hope had turned on the music on her iPhone and stuck it in her bra. She could hear the music from the phone's speaker as she worked. She pulled all the sheets off the furniture and tossed them downstairs so they could be washed and folded. Grace would probably use them for liners on her dresses. Hope then began polishing the furniture with pledge and washcloths she had picked up at Walmart. She started in Dean's room and began working her way clockwise around the upstairs.

Grace heard the distinctive growl of the Impala pulling in the drive. She stepped out onto the porch to see Dean pulling in behind Sam who was driving her van. She sighed in relief. She wasn't as attached to the van as she had been her Duster but they still needed some transportation.

"You got him running!" She said stepping down the porch toward Dean.

"Well, it still needs a tune up and definitely an oil change but I figured it'd be easier to work on here than in the parking lot of the tavern."

"Very true. Can I get you some lemonade?" She asked.

"That sounds great!" He said encouragingly.

Sam could see that neither Dean nor Grace cared that he was there so he went inside to find Hope. He could hear music coming from upstairs so he followed the sound. Hope was in her room cleaning. Sam leaned against the door frame and watched her. Her back was to him so she had no idea he was there. She was singing and dancing around to Glad You Came. Sam smiled as he watched her. She spun around in her dance and stopped dead when she saw him.

"Hi," she said embarrassed.

"Hi," he replied.

"I didn't see you there."

"I know."

"Then why didn't you say anything or cough or something?" She asked.

"Because I was enjoying the view," he said with a hint of lust in his voice.

She pursed her lips together not knowing what to say. She glanced around the room.

"So what do you think?" She said holding up her arms so he'd look around the room. Sam stepped in the room and looked around. She'd uncovered all the furniture and wiped it all down. The window was clean and open to let the fresh air in. Sam smiled when he realized she had swept the floors except for the perfect circle of salt that he'd spread around her bed the night before.

"Good, you still have your protection ring."

"Well, I didn't see any use in letting it go to waste," Hope said, looking down at the ring with him.

Dean followed Grace into the kitchen. He sat down at the small table in the kitchen. It only had two chairs with wire wound backs. The small round table was red and only about 24" in diameter and the whole set looked like they belonged in a '50s soda shop. Dean watched Grace moving around the kitchen. She had found a white apron that covered the front of her skirt so she looked even more like a '50s housewife. She quickly washed her hands and poured them each a cold glass of lemonade. She set the glasses on the table and grabbed a box of shortbread cookies. She put some on a plate and returned to the table. Dean watched every move she made.

"What?" She asked when she realized he was watching her.

"Nothin', I just feel like I stepped into an episode of I Love Lucy." He smiled at her.

"Well, I wish I was as beautiful as her but so glad I'm not quite as clumsy." Grace teased.

"Oh, I think you're much more beautiful," Dean complimented.

Grace blushed and tried to change the subject.

"So, do you think my van will last a little longer?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, a little work and it will be running fine."

"Good, cause until Hope buys her a truck it's the only vehicle we have," Grace said in relief.

"Hope's gonna buy a truck?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, she just had a little car so she sold it before we moved so she could buy a pick up after we got here."

"I have a hard time picturing her driving a truck."

"Don't let the dresses fool ya, Hope's a cowgirl at heart."

Dean thought about his trip to the old west when they met Sam Colt. He had been so wrong about what he thought the west was like from old movies. He wondered how Hope would do in that situation. She did have a horse and so she could probably ride better than Sam had, but Sam had done alright and they'd gotten the Phoenix ash they'd needed.

"Dean?" Grace asked drawing him back to the present.

"Yeah?"

"I lost ya there for a minute."

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking."

"Well, why don't you finish those cookies and I'll run get my sewing machine out of the van and get that shower curtain put together then you can clean up."

Dean looked down and realized just how dirty he was, covered in sweat, dirt and grease.

"Sounds good," he said, taking another drink of his lemonade.

Grace retrieved her sewing machine and bag full of threads and other sewing notions out of the van. She headed upstairs to set up her sewing room. Sam was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom with his hands in his pockets and his back to her.

"Hey, Sam!" Grace called. Sam turned to face her. "There's lemonade and cookies downstairs if Dean didn't eat them all yet."

Hope poked her head out of the bathroom.

"Wait! Dean's back too?" She asked.

"Yeah," Grace replied.

Hope looked up at Sam, "Does that mean you got the van fixed?"

"Yeah, I drove it back," he replied.

"Yay! Now I can get my speakers!" She excitedly ran down the stairs. Sam laughed and followed her. Grace smiled after them then turned to the door behind her. It was the room Dean slept in last night. She debated setting up the machine in her room for now but decided it wouldn't matter since the guys would probably leave the next day anyway.

She walked thru the open door. The headboard of the bed shared a wall with her headboard. The bed was neatly made which surprised Grace, she didn't take Dean for the bed making type. There was a window on her left and a chest of drawers beyond that. On the opposite wall past the bed was a small table with a chair that had probably been a desk at one point. Dean's green canvas duffle bag was sitting on the desk. Grace moved over to the table to set her sewing machine on it. She had her arms full so she pushed Dean's bag aside to make room to set things down. The bag fell off the edge of the table next to the bed. Grace groaned and finished setting her things down. She moved the sewing machine where she wanted, figuring she could plug in the pedal while she was on the floor picking up the contents of Dean's bag.

She pulled the bag out from under the edge of the bed. She turned it upright which caused more things to spill out. Grace stared in shock at the things she saw. She had expected clothes and toiletries but there were what look like weapons here. She gently reached out with shaking hands and picked up the hunting knife. Was that blood on it? She dropped the knife into the bag and reached for a silver rod. Who were these guys? How could she have let them in her home? They were probably homicidal maniacs and she had actually thought he was hot. What was wrong with her?

"Grace?"

She looked up quickly to see Dean standing in the doorway. The scowl on his face made him look dark and menacing. She scrabbled backward pressing her back to the wall, the rod still in her hand. Dean took a step forward.

"Stay back!" She cried.

Dean took another step into the room, "Grace, what the-"

She pointed the rod at him, "Stay away from me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you." Dean said trying to remain calm. He stepped past the end of the bed and saw the spilled bag.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, appearing suddenly in the doorway.

Grace pointed the rod at Sam. Dean saw his chance and stepped in snatching the rod from her hand. Grace scrambled to the corner to get out of his reach. Hope appeared in the doorway and saw Grace cowering in the corner. She pushed Sam aside to get thru.

"Grace, what happened?" Hope asked.

"Hope, run! He's got a knife!" Grace cried out.

Hope looked at Dean and raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't even a knife." Dean said holding it across his palm for Hope to see. It did resemble a short sword but it was cylindrical in shape and was narrower at the tip than the hilt. Hope had no doubt it could kill someone if it was punctured thru the body but Dean didn't seem to be a threat.

"What is it?" She asked calmly.

"It's an angel blade," Sam said behind her. "It kills Angels."

She looked at him concerned, "Why would you want to kill an angel?"

"Because they are trying to kill you," Dean said.

"What the hell is going on?!" Grace yelled from her position on the floor.

Hope stepped between Grace and Dean and crouched down in front of her friend.

"It's okay, they aren't going to hurt us," she said calmly., "They are hunters. They hunt monsters."

"Monsters? Like what? The things that go bump in the night?" Grace said incredulously.

"Among other things," Dean replied.

Grace looked back at Hope questioningly.

"It's true." Hope said, "Sam was trying to help me with my fear of ghosts."

Grace looked up at Dean, "So you're not going to kill me?"

"I can think of a lot of things I'd like to do to ya but I promise they'd be a lot more pleasant then killin ya," he said with a lustful grin.

Hope looked back at Grace and smiled. Grace smiled, suddenly embarrassed for assuming the guys were murderers.

"You gonna be ok?" Hope asked.

Grace just nodded so Hope stood up and left the small room with Sam following. Dean went and picked up the rest of his gear and threw the bag on the far side of the bed. Grace slowly stood up.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Dean dropped onto the end of the squeaky bed and sighed. "It's ok," he grumbled. He ran a hand over his face and Grace was struck by how tired he looked. Why hadn't she noticed before? She quietly went and sat next to him on the bed.

"Do you really hunt monsters?" She asked nervously.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because someone has too. We can't just have them running around eating everyone," he said gesturing with his arm.

"Is there really monsters out there that eat people," she asked.

Dean looked over at her. Her face was streaked with tears. He reached up and gently wiped the tears away.

"Don't worry, I won't let them get you," he said smiling crookedly at her.

She smiled at him shyly. Dean leaned over slowly, his soft full lips pressing against hers. Grace gently parted her lips, returning the kiss.

"You really think she's going to be ok?" Sam asked as they carried things inside.

Hope looked up the stairs.

"I think so. Hopefully Dean can explain what you guys do so she'll stop worrying about you being homicidal maniacs." She cast a teasing glance over her shoulder at Sam.

Grace's eyes slowly opened as Dean pulled back from the kiss. He smiled at her and wiped at the grease he had deposited on her chin. He had forgotten he was all dirty. She didn't seem to notice. So he moved in for another kiss. This one really pulled her in. Without even thinking about it, Grace slid her fingers up into his dark hair. There wasn't enough to get a grip on, but she still delved her fingers into the richness. His hair was really soft, even though it was moist with sweat and a bit grimy from being under the hood of her van. Her nails gently scraped his scalp and their lips parted as their tongues did a hot dance. Grace had been sitting beside him, turned at an awkward angle. His right hand slid down her thigh, grazing the fabric of her dress. Before she could breath he had slipped his hand under her knees and slipped her up into his lap. She laughed as he did so and dropped her hand from his hair to kneed his neck and their kisses intensified. His hand slid up the hem of her dress, caressing her soft skin. Within moments she was breathless and needed to break away to bring air back into her lungs. When she pulled away and took in a deep breath, she also took in the smell of him. His own masculine scent, and oil, dirt, and sweat. It was oddly intoxicating. Grace panicked, her face flushed red and she scurried off his lap.

"What's wrong, darlin'? I already told you I'm not a homicidal maniac." Dean smiled.

Rather than making her smile, she politely excused herself and ran out of the room, escaping to her own.

Grace sat at her dressing table, first burying her face in her hands in embarrassment. After a brief moment she glanced up, looking at the stranger in the mirror. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime, her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses. And her cheeks were flushed red with passion and streaked from her tears. This wasn't like her! It was then she noticed the grease on her dress. She growled at herself that the dress was ruined. She quickly stood up, stepped out of the dress, hoping to get it to the laundry room before the stain set. But as she turned to the closet, where she had a few dresses hanging, her bedroom door opened.

"What was tha..." Dean couldn't finish his sentence as Grace stood there in a turquoise lace bra, almost the same color as her dress, and a white frilly thing. He didn't know what to call it. She looked at him, shock on her face. She certainly didn't expect him to follow her.

"My uh, my dress," She said as she held it up, showing him the mark.

"Piece of cake. I can get that out. I know ways to remove just about any stain." He moved away from the doorway, pushing the old wooden door closed as he stepped up to her. Dean took the dress from her hands and dropped it to the floor.

"Your face is far more dirty than your dress," he whispered as he reached for her cheek. He slid a soft caress from her cheekbone down to her lips. "But not nearly as dirty as your thoughts."

Grace felt her cheeks flush red. He was right, but how did he know? They'd barely kissed, surely he couldn't tell from two kisses. His left hand snaked around her waist, pulling her into his body, where she fit far too nicely. Without waiting another moment, Dean stole another kiss, and her breath. She felt her knees begin to buckle under her. Her skin erupted in goosebumps as Dean ran his fingers up her back to the hook of her bra. She knew she should stop him, but the words escaped her.

"Dean, are you in here?" Sam's voice came thru the door to Grace's room.

"Not now Sammy!" Dean's voice was rough, chastising his brother.

Sam didn't say another word; he set down the bags he had brought up for Grace and headed back downstairs.

Once again Grace had come to her senses. She pushed at Dean's rock hard chest, moving him towards the door.

"Please," She pleaded with him. "Go take a shower before we both do something we'll regret." She had gotten him to the door and opened it in that one sentence. He braced the door jam.

"I promise you won't regret it," he said, his voice still husky with desire.

"Please, Dean," she whispered. He sighed, defeated and headed to the bathroom.

Hope was in the kitchen when Sam came back downstairs. She was pulling a dish out of the oven and placing another tray in.

"Smells good," Sam said, sitting at the small table.

"Yeah, Grace is a pretty good cook," Hope replied. She went to the fridge and grabbed a beer for Sam and a hard cider for herself.

"So how long till we eat," he asked.

"Just waiting for Grace and Dean to come down," she said sitting across from him and handing him the opened bottle.

"Uh... They may be a while," he said awkwardly.

"Why's that?" Hope asked but then realized what he meant by his expression. "Oh! Well, good for her."

Sam was surprised by Hope's reaction. "Why do you say that?" Sam asked.

"Oh, it's just..." She debated whether she should tell him Grace's personal business but he didn't seem like the gossipy type so she continued. "A few years ago Grace met this guy. They seemed so perfect together, had the same interests and everything. He was an antique dealer and traveled a lot for work. They dated for almost a year when she started to get suspicious. She started checking into him and found out that he was dealing stuff on the black market."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Body parts," Hope said with a disgusted look on her face. "Grace found boxes with these weird symbols on them and when she opened one, there was a bloody heart inside."

Hope visibly shivered and Sam leaned forward a little in his chair.

"What kind of symbols," he asked.

"I don't know, I didn't see them. Wait, you don't think they might be you're kind thing, do you?"

"Could be, there are definitely people out there who deal in magical items. Most of them are just fortune hunters and they aren't even sure what they've really dealing with but some of those people are dangerous. Grace is lucky she figured it out before she got hurt," Sam explained.

"She didn't," Hope said looking at her bottle. "She confronted him and he beat the crap out of her and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone. She ran, came to live with me and start over in a new state but she's never really trusted any guy since."

"So when she found the weapons..." Sam said starting to understand.

"Exactly."

"Well, Dean and I have to lie a lot to do what we do but once someone knows about our jobs then there isn't much point in trying to hide things. Sometimes what you don't know can get you killed."

"So why not tell everyone?" She asked.

"Because then everyone would panic. And really if you could happily live the rest of your life not knowing about these things wouldn't you?" Sam said.

Hope had to admit he was right. She didn't deal well with scary thing before but now to learn they were real was going to make it worse.

"Can you teach me," she asked nervously.

"Teach you what?"

"To protect myself," she said sincerely.

Sam smiled, "Sure."

Grace stepped thru the door of the kitchen. Sam and Hope looked up surprised. She had changed into her black pirate dress and black knee length leggings. She was barefooted and had removed her makeup, leaving her features looking softer than they did with the eye makeup.

Grace went straight to the oven and checked the French bread. The butter had all melted so she pulled it out. She pulled some dishes out of the cupboard and took them in the dining room.

Hope looked at Sam, "I thought she'd be in a better mood."

"I don't think they-" Sam cut off when Grace came back in the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready if you guys want to wash up," Grace said, picking up the lasagna.

"Where's Dean?" Hope asked.

"He was having a quick shower. He should be down shortly," Grace replied, heading back to the table.

Hope and Sam exchanged a look and went to wash up.

Dean came downstairs to find everyone in the dining room waiting for him. The dining room table would easily seat ten. Hope and Sam were sitting next to each other on the living room side of the table and Grace was sitting across from Hope. Dean sat down next to Grace.

"You didn't have to wait for me," he said.

"Yes, we did," Sam replied frustrated.

"It's good etiquette," Hope said.

"Please help yourself," Grace said.

Sam reached over and began scooping out lasagna while Hope opened the bread. Grace handed Dean a bowl with fresh steamed asparagus in it.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Dean cleared his throat, "So you girls know where there's a lake around here?"

"A lake?" Grace asked, "No, why? Did you want to go swimmin'?"

"Ah no," Sam sighed, "We think there may be trouble near this lake."

"And it's close to here?" Hope asked.

Dean nodded.

"Great!" Hope said sarcastically, "We moved into a death trap."

Sam reached over and squeezed Hope's hand.

"We're not even sure there's really something there yet. Dean and I need to go to town tomorrow and do some more digging."

"So you're going to stick around for a few more days?" Hope asked with a mischievous grin.

Dean just rolled his eyes. He wasn't looking forward to a couple of more days stuck here with Grace getting him all worked up then pulling away. If she wasn't interested that was fine but he could tell she was.

After dinner the girls went into the kitchen to do the dishes while the guys went to the living room to do some more research.

"So what happened?" Hope asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Grace grumbled.

"I don't get it. I thought you were into him," Hope complained.

"I am, that's the problem," Grace said defeated.

Hope set the dish she was washing down in the rinse pile. "How is that a problem?"

"Because it'll never work."

"What will never work? I'm pretty sure he's good to go on this," Hope teased.

Grace looked at her friend with tears in her eyes.

"Grace what is it?" Hope asked, concerned now.

"The fortune teller was right. I'm cursed," Grace said, going to sit at the table and setting the dish she was drying next to her.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Do you remember Laurie's 18th birthday party?"

"Vaguely," Hope replied.

"Do you remember the fortune teller there?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, she told me something stupid about a moose changing my life."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think much about what she said either until Justin."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked, leaning against the counter.

"She said that I would meet my soulmate and we'd have this instant connection that bonded us together but there would be something dark that would tear us apart."

"And you think that was Justin?" Hope asked.

"Had to be. I thought we were going to get married, I loved him so much and then I found out what he was doing and..." Grace trailed off in tears.

Hope came over to sit across from her and reached out for her hands.

"Grace, fortune tellers aren't real. Especially ones that come to birthday parties. And yea, Justin was scary but that just means he wasn't your soulmate. Your soulmate is someone who would die for you not someone who threatens to kill you."

"But part of her predictions have come true. She said I'd be my own boss someday and be doing something I love. That's really happened." Grace wanted to accept it was hokey, but there was some truth to the fortune teller.

"That's such an open ended story. You could take that ten different ways."

"You really think so," Grace said, wiping her tears away.

"Of course I do. Lots of people find something that they love to do then turn it into a career. Besides in all the years I worked for the forest service do you ever recall me meeting a moose?" Hope said trying to get her friend to smile. Grace did smile although it was half hearted.

"Is that what's holding you back with Dean?" Hope asked, "Do you think you already missed your chance?" Grace just nodded. "Well, don't let it stop you with Dean. I can pretty much guarantee that Dean isn't the one but that doesn't mean you can't relax and have a little fun." Hope said smiling.

"You think so?" Grace asked.

"They aren't the stick around and settle down guys but from what I can tell they both have good hearts. Think about it, they save people all the time."

Grace had to admit that Hope was right. She felt like she could trust him even though she'd just found out he'd lied to her about his work. It was like he'd been protecting her from the nightmare that was his life.

"Now would you just go talk to him," Hope said, pulling Grace out of her chair.

Hope smiled and watched Grace picked up her unfinished glass of wine and down it before she walked toward the living room and Dean.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Grace took a deep breath as she stepped into the living room. The brothers sat beside each other on the antique couch that was once probably a pretty peach color. They were both leaning in to read something on the laptop. Grace watched for a moment to see if Dean would look up but he seemed nose deep in his investigation so she lost her nerve and turned to walk out. She didn't want to distract him from his… what had they called it, oh, hunting. Dean looked up as she cut thru the corner of the living room and headed for the stairs. He stood up and caught up to her before she reached the 3rd step. He grabbed her forearm, gently stopping her.

"Grace," he asked, curious as to why she left without saying a word. She turned to look down at him and melted on the spot. Before, his eyes had been filled with lust, but now as he gazed up at her there was concern creasing his brow. "Is everything okay?" He asked gently, letting his hand slide from her forearm to her hand. Grace glanced at Sam, who was pretending not to notice them as he worked on his computer. She looked back at Dean, squeezed his hand and continued heading up the stairs, guiding him along.

Dean followed, his hand still grasp in hers and he felt his heart racing. It caused him a moment of panic. He'd had sex with far too many women to count, why was the prospect of being with this one making him feel so different?

Grace stayed silent as she led him to her room. She dropped his hand and closed the door behind them. As Dean stood in the center of the room, still a little confused, Grace moved to the dresser where her iPhone had been charging. She pulled up her music and selected her "Greatest Hits of Mullet Rock". It was her guilty pleasure she rarely played around Hope. It was classic rock and a few power ballads. She could sing them like no one's business and felt the words in her soul. She had a feeling Dean would appreciate it. And she needed something to block the noise she was sure she would make. She tried not to giggle when the first song started. Grace stepped up to Dean as the slow soft notes started.

"Dance with me," she asked, a bit breathy. He nodded and pulled her close. They moved in a small circle, her head on his shoulder. She got a bit of a shock when he started singing along quietly, like he was embarrassed.

"I want you to come back and carry me home, away from these long lonely nights. I'm reaching for you, are you feeling it too, does the feeling seem so right?"

Grace took over, keeping her head on his shoulder.

"And what would you say if I called on you now, said that I can't hold on. There's no easy way, it gets harder each day. Please love me or I'll be gone, I'll be gone."

As the chorus began Grace looked up into his green eyes and the sang to each other.

"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you, I know you were right believing for so long. I'm all out of love what am I without you, it can't be too late to say that I was so wrong."

Grace starting giggling but was silenced when Dean cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. Since her hands were already behind his head it was easy for her fingers to find their way into his hair. Justin had always had a buzz cut much to her protest, since she loved having her fingers entrapped in a man's locks. She couldn't help herself. And Dean's hair was so soft. He helped to part her lips so their tongues could keep up the dance their bodies had started. His hands easily found the hem of her very short dress and slipped under to find the soft skin of her lower back, his fingertips swirled around making goosebumps erupt. She waited for Dean to pull the dress off but when he didn't, she broke the kiss and in one swift movement, had the t-Shirt like dress over her head and on the floor. The song shifted and began playing "Hot Blooded". It was as if her playlist knew what to chose next. She tried not to listen to the words as she pulled Dean's olive green button up shirt down his arms to join her dress on the floor. Grace ran her hands over his large biceps. Dean grabbed the bottom of his black t-shirt and pulled it over his head, baring his rock hard chest to her. Grace ran her fingers down the smooth skin covering abs of steel. She giggled to herself at the thought. Abs of steel. She trailed her fingers lower to undo the buckle of his black leather belt. She could clearly see the strain of the fabric against his manhood. His breath came out in a hiss as her knuckles grazed the tight fabric before she undid the top button. She expected to find him commando as she unzipped his jeans but was surprised to find boxer briefs. She ran her tongue over her lips in anticipation.

Before she had a chance to move any further, he brought her back up straight to assault her lips again. As the kisses intensified and the heat built up, he walked her backwards towards the bed. Grace almost lost her balance when the back of her legs hit the mattress. She laughed as she plopped down on to the squeaky bed. Dean gently pushed her back, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her black leggings and removed them. He looked at her hungrily as he tossed the leggings over his shoulder to have them land in the pile with the other clothes. Grace propped herself up on her elbows as she watched him drop his pants and boxers together to the floor, to pool at his feet. It was comical, the look on his face as he did so.

Dean put one knee on the bed, prepared to straddle Grace. When the bed made a horrendous squeaking noise he smiled devilishly but the sound made Grace's heart flutter.

"Yeah, this isn't going to work," Grace said, trying to push him off and sit up.

Dean smiled and said "If the bed's a rockin' don't come knockin'"

Grace laughed but shook her head no.

"If I have any idea where this adventure is going, we don't need to be letting Hope and Sam know all about it. The best thing about having sex on a squeaky bed is the skill to do everything the slow way so that the bed doesn't squeak. I want to see you try that."

Dean offered her his hand and helped her to her feet, pulling her against him.

"I accept that challenge," he said with a grin. "But you're right, that's for another time." He reached around her, grabbing the comforter on the bed and pulling it to the floor.

It wasn't ideal, as doing it on the floor always gave her a backache, but a squeaky bed, not the best way to stay quiet. One thing she and Hope had prided themselves on was their etiquette. And proper etiquette was not to let your friends hear you having wild, passionate sex. She laughed to herself as she thought about Hope and Sam downstairs looking up at the ceiling with all the noise. She shook the thought from her head and gestured for Dean to hit the floor.

"Ladies first," He said with a wicked grin.

She gave him a gentle push. "Not this time cowboy," she said with a bit of seduction. Dean's eyes widened in anticipation. He laid down on the comforter and tucked his hands behind his head. Grace stood above him in just her turquoise lace bra and panties.

Hope was right, this guy wasn't "the one" so she might as well enjoy herself. She watched his face carefully as she took a moment to pull every bobby pin out of her hair and shake her glorious long red hair out. Her hair was long enough and thick enough that when over the front of her shoulders completely covered her breasts. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, letting the fabric drop at her feet. But poor Dean, he still didn't quite get to see what he had been holding his breath for.

A new song started on her playlist. "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles. She felt the seduction in the song. She tried not to sing along, but without conscious thought, her hips sway back-and-forth ever so slightly to the beat of the music.

Grace stepped onto the comforter, putting one foot on either side of Dean's hips. He trailed his eyes from her thigh to her hip, across to her smooth stomach, stayed a moment longer at the beautiful underside of her breast, and finally rested on her blue eyes, no not blue. They were green. He could've swore they were blue.

Grace moved seductively to fully straddle him, her knees now on the ground, gently squeezing his hip bones. Even though she still wore her scrap of lace panties she hovered just a breath away from his manhood, absolutely teasing him.

Grace leaned down to kiss him, her long hair spilling around them both. She pressed her bare breasts against his rock hard chest. Dean couldn't help but to grab her hips, gently digging his fingers into the soft flesh. This woman was going to drive him crazy. This was one night he was sure he would never forget. As Grace kissed him she gently rocked her body, teasing him even further.

Without any warning Dean flipped them over, landing Grace hard on her back. It actually took her a moment to catch her breath, it was so unexpected. Dean slid down her body ever so slightly just enough to be able to capture her right breast. The talent he had with his mouth sent heat pooling between her legs. He growled slightly under his breath, causing Grace to gasp. When he released her he lifted up ever so slightly to look at her face.

"Can you smell it Grace, can you smell the desire we're filling this room with?"

Grace never understood the need for pillow talk. Who cared if she could smell their sex, she just wanted to get to it. She didn't say anything, just nodded her head. Satisfied with her response he took a moment to devour her left breast, making sure it did not feel unloved. She arched her back ever so slightly in response to his attack. He then began trailing kisses down her rib cage, to her hip bone, where she tried so hard not to laugh. She wasn't necessarily ticklish but she had never been kissed like that before. He decided to be funny and grab the scrap of lace with his teeth and gently pulled at it like he was trying to remove them.

Grace laughed, her whole body shaking with the joy. As she giggled he slipped his thumbs under the band and in one swift movement he had slipped her panties off and tossed them aside.

Dean moved back up, so ready to fill her body with his own. She was ready for him. She reached up for him, delving her fingers back into his soft hair, pulling him down for a kiss. He fit so perfectly against her. Grace wrapped her long legs around his hips, trying to draw him in. She felt the soft tip of his erection press against her core. She lifted up her hips, pushing him in so slightly. Rather than continue to tease her, Dean surged deep, filling her completely. He started a delicious rhythm that made Grace purr in delight. But after a moment she stopped him.

"What's wrong," he asked as she push gently at his chest.

"Nothing," she smiled wickedly. "Just switching things up. It's my turn. On your back, soldier."

Dean was a little surprised that Suzy Homemaker wanted to be on top. He was happy to oblige.

Grace hovered just above him, very slowly taking him into her, inch by wonderful inch. Even though the song was not the one currently playing she had 'slow ride' playing in her head. Hope had taught her well how to ride a horse, and she put her lessons to good use. She rode him with a skill she didn't realize she had. She used muscles she hadn't use in this aspect in so long. She wasn't sure who was getting more pleasure, Dean or herself. But by the look on his face, he definitely was in heaven. His hands had been behind his head when they started then quickly moved her hips to help with the rhythm. Her slow pace didn't last long and she found herself moving faster and faster, feeling her body began the delicious build up. Dean propped himself up on his elbows so he could watch her face. But in that moment he wanted more. Something he never wanted to do before. He pushed himself up into an almost sitting position, making it so he could wrap his arms around her. It was so close and intimate, he had never been there before. It didn't mentally feel like he was having just sex. It was becoming too much. So he repositioned them, getting Grace back underneath him. He had to change his mood. He balked to himself he was being a patsy. He was Dean 'freakin' Winchester. He didn't do emotional sex. He let the raw sexual desire take over as his rhythm went deeper and faster.

Grace had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying out as her body tightened and her orgasm rocked her. She had seen on his face, and heard in the grunts, that Dean had been close too. She squeezed all her lower muscles, tightening her legs around his hips, as he pushed hard and deep, until his own release came. He collapsed, trying so hard not to crush Grace. They lay there for several minutes, each of them trying to catch their breath.

Dean propped himself up on his elbow and kissed Grace again.

"I guess we better get cleaned up," he said. Grace smiled and nodded. Dean stood up and offered Grace a hand, he pulled her to her feet then and scooped up the comforter. He wrapped the comforter around his shoulders then wrapped his arms around Grace, covering them both as they snuck off to the bathroom.

A short time later Dean lay on his stomach, his hands tucked underneath the pillow and his head completely content, he looked at Grace beside him, on her back with her hair fanned around the pillow. He couldn't believe how his night was ending. He had a delicious dinner, and unexpected dessert… Dessert! He had totally forgotten!

"Hey Grace? What about pie?"

Hope finished up the dishes. She refilled her wine glass and grabbed another beer for Sam. She walked into the living room with a little extra swish in her hips to get his attention. It didn't work, he didn't even look up as she walked over. Sam was sitting in the middle of the couch working on his laptop that was sitting on the coffee table. He looked uncomfortable all bent over but he barely glanced at the beer when she set it down. She sat next to him looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing.

"Whatcha working on?" Hope asked.

"I'm trying to find out if there is a common connection between the victims or if they were all just found in the same place," he explained, closing one window and opening another on his screen.

Hope watched for a few minutes trying to follow along but Sam was deep in thought on it and she didn't want to interrupt by asking a lot of questions. She was quickly lost as he skimmed thru articles and county records. She leaned back on the couch and admired Sam's broad shoulders as she sipped her wine.

Sam stretched, his back hurt from bending over the coffee table. This furniture wasn't designed for someone as tall as he was. Besides he was sure Hope was bored watching him work. He looked over his shoulder to see Hope asleep on the couch next to him. Her head was tilted back and her eyes closed. Her breathing was deep and even. He took the empty wine glass from her hands and set it next to his computer. He glanced at his monitor and realized he'd been working for a couple of hours. He wasn't sure how time always seemed to slip away from him when he was on the job. Sam pushed some hair back away from Hope's face. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the wine. She looked so perfect laying there that he hated to wake her so he scooped her up in his arms to carry her upstairs.

"Did I fall asleep?" She said quietly wrapping her arms around his neck.

He smiled snuggling her against his chest, "It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't realize I was working so long."

He stood up and started towards the stairs.

"You don't have to carry me," Hope said, feeling self conscious. She knew she wasn't exactly a skinny supermodel. She was solidly built with more muscle than most girls.

"I know," he said as he started climbing the stairs. Hope couldn't believe that he didn't seem to have any trouble carrying her but he was a big guy. Sam stood a foot taller than her when she wasn't wearing shoes, with broad shoulders and muscular arms . The door to Grace's room was closed and it seemed quiet inside so they assumed Dean and Grace were asleep.

Sam sat her on the bed and kissed her cheek.

"I'll let you get changed, I'm going to have a shower," he said.

Hope just smiled. Sam went to his room and grabbed his toothbrush and pajama pants. He started the noisy shower and let it heat up while he brushed his teeth. He adjusted the shower curtain to block most of the water but since Grace hadn't had time to make the wrap around curtain yet they were just making due with the one Hope had hung when she was cleaning.

The hot water felt good on his tired back. He was looking forward to stretching out next to Hope in the bigger bed. He was lost in thought and didn't hear the bathroom door open and close again. He opened his eyes after rinsing his shoulder length hair out to see Hope stepping into the shower with him. She seemed a little awkward, like she wasn't sure what she was doing. Sam pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. He turned them around so she could be under the hot water. Hope tilted her head back and rinsed her hair under the water. Sam kissed her neck, his hands exploring her backside. Hope could feel him getting aroused, she reached between them and gripped his shaft. He was long and thick. Her body quaked with arousal. Sam braced himself in the tub as she massaged him. He pulled her against him grinding against her but their height difference was too much. He threw back the shower curtain, stepped out of the tub and scooped her up in his arms. He managed to open the door and carried her down the hall, both of them naked and dripping wet. He used his foot to closed her door and laid her out on the bed. He climbed on top of her, his kisses deep and urgent. He moved down her body, sucking on each of her nipples. Hope arched her back as he teased at her with his teeth. He licked some of the water off her belly making her giggle before moving lower. Hope gasp as his tongue danced around her. He found the right spot and worked her till she was right on the cusp of exploding. She whimpered as her body screamed for release. He quickly moved atop her and Hope wrapped her legs around him. He thrust into her finding her hot and ready. He moaned, she was so tight that he enjoyed the sensation a moment before he began rocking. Hope matched his rhythm and his breathing became as ragged as hers. He moved faster and deeper until he felt her body spasm around him. He sped up releasing himself into her.

Sam collapsed on top of her, his head resting between her breasts. Hope's fingers ran across his back as she trembled with the after shock. Sam tilted his head back so he could see her face.

"I think we left the shower running." He smiled.

Hope giggled, "We probably could both use another shower now."

He kissed her breast and pushed up off her. He held a hand out to her and she took it standing up. Sam stepped out the door but Hope looked at Grace's door self-consciously.

"Trust me they're asleep," Sam said.

They hurried back to the bathroom and Hope stepped in the shower first. The hot water felt good. Sam stepped in behind her and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. He squirted some in his hands and began to massage it into her hair. Hope moaned in pleasure. He used the extra suds to wash off her body. Hope rinsed off and switched him places. She reached up and kissed him.

"That was the sexiest thing anyone has ever done for me," she said.

Sam smiled, he didn't really know why he wanted to do that but somehow he just wanted to keep his hands on her as long as possible. Usually he was a 'Wham, Bam, Thank You, ma'am' kinda guy, but this girl was starting to make him feel like maybe he could settle down.

"Why don't you dry off while I finish and then we can go to bed?" Sam said,

Hope stepped out of the tub and dried off. She wrapped up in the short satin robe she'd worn into the bathroom. Sam washed off and turned off the shower. He dried off quickly and slipped on his pajamas. He took Hope's hand as they walked back to her room. Hope carefully stepped over the ring of salt and slipped off her robe as she climbed into the queen sized bed. She scooted to the far size to make room for Sam. He climbed in beside her and laid on his back. Hope curled up to his bare chest and sighed contentedly. Sam kissed the top of her wet hair and drifted off to sleep. Hope lay for a while enjoying the feel of his warm body against hers before she to drifted off as well.


	6. Prologue

Prologue

July 1915  
Rural Nebraska

"Esther run! Hide!" June screamed to her oldest daughter as she ran as fast as she could. She lifted the hem of her dress to allow her legs to gain more distance. She wanted to run to the farmhouse and lock the doors and windows. But her children were there and she could not put them in harm's way. The thing behind her was fast and she had to lead him away.  
She ran past the house screaming her warning again and bolting for the stable. She didn't dare look over her shoulder. She knew he was right behind her. She could hear his heavy breathing, smell the death on him.  
She just needed to get to the secondary storm shelter. Her children were smart and knew that if ever there was any type of danger, be it severe weather or bandits, they were to go to the storm shelter just outside the back patio. She was sure her screams would have awakened them and the oldest would get them to safety.  
Her husband had insisted there be a secondary storm shelter, large enough to get his prize stallion underground if there was severe weather.  
She ran past Guinuess' stall and could hear the stallion striking the wall in agitation. At the back of the stable was the metal door in the floor that lead down into the storm shelter. It took all her strength to lift it just enough to slip under. She heard his footfall at the barn door before he screamed in rage as the shelter door slammed down. In the pitch black she felt for the bar to secure the door. He would not get to her this night! She sent a prayer out that she and her children were safe. In the pitch blackness her eyes stared up at the heavy metal door. She could hear him pounding at the door and claws scraping against the metal. She backed away from the door, deeper into the darkness. Then suddenly the scraping stop and there was silence. She moved closer to the door. Had he left? Dare she look? As her shaky hand reached toward the the bolt she heard something grating across the middle door above her. With a sinking feeling in her stomach she realized what he had done. He had covered the door. She didn't know with what, but after moving the bar and pushing with all her might the door would not budge. Not even the slightest. She opened her mouth and screamed


End file.
